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| Citizen867 |
 Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 7:09 am Post subject: Is it all worth it? |
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ORANGE
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 16
Service Group: R&D
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Hello, fellow citizens.
I was raised on 2nd Edition Paranoia. I hunted down a copy of it on eBay and bought it. It started to fall apart and I salvaged it, protecting it forever in plastic slipcovers and a binder (the thing is three times thicker than the original book, now). 2nd Edition is like a family member to me.
Then XP comes out.
And I must ask, is it worth it? Am I a commie traitor for ignoring the new book and continuing with the old ways? Is Paranoia XP really unique enough for me to spend my money on?
As you can tell, this has been troubling me slightly. Help me out, citizens?
LONG LIVE THE COMPUTER! |
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| Costin-U-MOR-6 |
| Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:41 am Post subject: |
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Tech Services Supreme Nut Tightener
Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 667
Service Group: Technical Services
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Personally - I believe PARANOIA XP excels in providing a lot of new material. The game runs on a simple, new game system. The game includes new material on Alpha Complex, service firms, running The Computer, Mandatory Bonus Duties...
You're not a Commie Traitor for not wanting to check it out. If you're happy with 2nd Edition, you can stick with it and adapt new material if you want. The new supplements have a huge amount of material on mutants, gear, secret societies and security clearances that you can just drop into the game instantly.
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Check out The Underplex at your local store now!
I'm a Recycled Traitor waiting for you in Omega Complex |
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| Citizen867 |
| Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:51 pm Post subject: Although... |
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ORANGE
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 16
Service Group: R&D
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Granted, they did release that big book (or is it books?) of old Paranoia adventures for XP...
I suppose I'm just curious if XP lives up to the old West End Paranoia, in which case I'll probably get it. |
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| Tombking |
| Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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BLUE
Joined: 22 Jan 2005
Posts: 2598
Service Group: PLC
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There is no such thing as XP, citizen. Long live PARANOIA .
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Full name: Tombking-G-SWE-6
Wearing: GREEN jumpsuit, Top hat, Isolation headphones and Protection Goggles.. Oh, and a comfy blanket with something under. (Right shoulder)
Status: Can't hear you. |
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| Citizen867 |
| Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 10:28 pm Post subject: Hm... |
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ORANGE
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 16
Service Group: R&D
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Wow, I guess we know where you stand on the subject.  |
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| saulres |
| Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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UV Master Programmer
Joined: 18 Oct 2004
Posts: 5686
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| Citizen867 wrote: |
| I suppose I'm just curious if XP lives up to the old West End Paranoia, in which case I'll probably get it. |
Live up to? In many respects, it surpasses it!
The new edition offers multiple styles of play, with slight rules tweaks for the each. Don't worry, the version you're most familiar with, 2E, is covered in "Classic" (mostly).
It does change a bit of the paradigm of Alpha Complex, including the introduction of an economy. This only adds to the paranoia, because many, many things can go wrong when PCs are responsible for their own funds and supplies.
The supporting material is also astounding. 2E had the base book and a bunch of mission supplements. The current version has a whole host of extra information on the world of Alpha Complex, including whole books devoted to secret societies, mutant powers, playing characters who aren't Troubleshooters (at most clearance levels), etc.
The rules system has a lot more fun to it than the 2E edition, with Perversity Points and Narrow Specialties which your players can use to influence the turn of events at a moment's notice.
And I think I'm just touching on the advancements...
Whether it's worth it or not eventually comes down to what you're looking for, and I don't know if anyone can answer that except you. All we can do is provide facts and opinions.
EDIT: Oh, and Tombking's repsonse is meant as a reference to the official removal of "XP" from the brand name, not an opinion on the merits of one version over another. |
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| Citizen867 |
| Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 1:02 am Post subject: Economy, eh? |
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ORANGE
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 16
Service Group: R&D
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Wow, an economy in the Alpha Complex? That really does open up a larger set of things to go wrong! I hope that everything is still a big bureaucratic mess...
As long as the heart and soul of Paranoia is in there, I really can't see any reason not to get it.
On another note, I've heard that XP has all the good things about 2nd Edition, and none of anything from 5th Edition. I've heard whispers about the infamous 5th Edition...what made it so horrible? |
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| Tombking |
| Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 1:16 am Post subject: |
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BLUE
Joined: 22 Jan 2005
Posts: 2598
Service Group: PLC
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| Costin-U-MOR-6 |
| Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:01 am Post subject: Re: Hm... |
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Tech Services Supreme Nut Tightener
Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 667
Service Group: Technical Services
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| Citizen867 wrote: |
| TombKing wrote: |
| There is no such thing as XP, citizen. Long live PARANOIA. |
Wow, I guess we know where you stand on the subject. |
You misinterpret the nature of TombKing's response. PARANOIA is now just PARANOIA. No more XP. XP had to go because Microsoft didn't like it...
DARN IT!: Only just read down to the bottom of Saul's post. GAH! |
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| Dag-O-BAH |
| Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2005 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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ORANGE
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 43
Service Group: HPD&MC
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Yeah, it's worth it. I loved Second Edition (and the first edition, for that matter). Even if you don't pick up the new rules and just port everything into Second Edition, you should really check out the new Straight-play stuff for a chance of pace.
WMD is a great collection of Straight missions -- darker in tone than Second Edition stuff (which I suppose would all fall into the Classic and Zap play styles) while still being a lot of fun. I personally wasn't convinced that the new edition was so great until I saw what you could really do with it in Straight play. But that's not the only appeal -- it's just the feature that really sold me.
Service firms are one of my favorite innovations in the new edition. These 'private' firms are sort of like subcontractors for the Service Groups, allowing you create all kinds of new departments and divisions within the Service Groups for even more convoluted bureaucratic nightmares. I've found lots of inspiration in this idea alone. Imagine what might happen if rival Internal Security firms got into a bidding war for a lucrative contract to replace all of the broken security cameras in a certain sector. What if it was so lucrative that IntSec firms really went to war over it? I don't remember having that kind of fun with Second Edition. 
There's also a healthy respect for capitalism in Alpha Complex these days. Clones are actually encouraged (well, forced) to buy stuff in the new economy. Because money matters, bonuses and fines are great ways to motivate characters. You can also get them to buy lots and lots of utterly useless kipple such as reflec body lotion and ever-popular snack foods.
It's also updated to reflect the changes in technology and culture since Second Edition. Troubleshooters have to worry about email spam, computer viruses, biological weapons, and lots of other horrors we now deal with.
And there are new flavors of Bouncy Bubble Beverage. (Now you really have to get the new edition!)
Yeah, it's worth it. If you've been playing since Second Edition you should be old enough to have some disposable income by now. (You grow up. Your relatives die and your bank account swells. Funny how things work out.) Help out our economy a little bit and buy the new PARANOIA already. 
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Heavy Anti-Flirting Commando |
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| Allandaros |
| Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2005 4:04 am Post subject: |
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Armed Forces General
Joined: 26 Dec 2003
Posts: 3196
Service Group: Armed Forces
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*grins* Because I'm evil like that, Tombking. Because I'm evil like that.
What? Oh, yes. Citizen867, I seriously do suggest that you pick up the new Paranoia. Leaf through a copy. Maybe you won't end up buying it, but I'd say it's definitely worth a leaf-through to see whether you're interested. And Tombking's post honestly does convey why 5e was so bad.
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www.ninjalistics.com |
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| Citizen867 |
| Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2005 6:43 pm Post subject: WHY, TOMBKING?! WHY?! |
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ORANGE
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 16
Service Group: R&D
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 Aaaaaghhh! My eyes! Not good! Not good! I STILL SEE IT WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES!!! |
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| Citizen867 |
| Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2005 6:45 pm Post subject: Thanks |
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ORANGE
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 16
Service Group: R&D
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| Thanks, fellow citizens. You've been very helpful. Another quick question, though. Has XP actually been dropped from the name? Because everywhere I look it's still says "Paranoia XP". |
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| Nek-O-KUN |
| Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2005 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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ORANGE
Joined: 14 Mar 2005
Posts: 46
Service Group: Internal Security
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| Well, I am pretty sure that is because [DELETED FOR SECURITY REASONS] |
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| Silent |
| Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2005 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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BLUE
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 2885
Service Group: HPD&MC
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Most people don't get the memo.
And, XP is the still the informal name of the current series, even if AV doesn't use it anymore. We're used to it. And we need some way of defining today's PARANOIA line from yesterday's PARANOIA line and tomorrow's PARANOIA line.
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| Phial, in ARC wrote: |
| I know I'm a dummy but, I realised as recently as yesterday why the IC game is in PLN sector. |
Silent-B-PLN-6
Chief of Security(pending)
Works in: HPD&MC, Internal Security
Wearing: BLUE Jumpsuit
Silent-V-PLN-10 (deceased) Runs XAI Subsector |
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